Give me the DL on introducing roosters to one another.

[cupman]

I have 25 chickens. 24 hens and 1 rooster. I plan on getting more chickens(even though I really shouldn't) and I wanted to pick up one more rooster to watch over my flock. My current rooster is a Barred Rock and he has mild aggression. He will do the dance and want to spar with me upon occasion, but has never drawn blood or attacked too seriously. I have three scenarios in my head about how to go about introducing a new rooster and I was hoping you all could give your input on what you would do. The scenarios are:

1) Get a full grown rooster, separate from other rooster and let them eyeball each other for a few weeks before pulling the fence out. Watch them closely when I do take the fence out.

2) Raise a chick rooster up and integrate him with my flock when he is aged 10 or 12 weeks. The thought behind this is that at 10 weeks he would be small and not challenge my full grown rooster. I'm hoping the fact that the older watches it grow up it might not have the same aggression it would have towards another rooster. I really don't know how this would work, it was just an idea I had. Maybe the older rooster would attack the 10 week old? I just don't know.

3) Get a bantam rooster. I wouldn't be opposed to a bantam rooster but I just don't know how a bantam would work with my LF rooster. Would they be cool around each other or would my LF rooster hurt the bantam?

I know how to integrate flocks. I have read several posts on that. I just don't know how to integrate a new rooster in. If you have experience in this area and it doesn't follow one of the previous things I stated please tell me. I am always open for suggestions.

Thank you!

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

I haven't tried #1, but I've used #2 and #3 before. I integrated an established mixed flock of LF to my established flock of bantam Brahmas, and there was barely a peck between them. In the beginning they seemed happier with separate roosts, feeders and waterers. (I do have a large yard.)

I've raised replacement Australorp roos and pullets in the same yard as older birds, and they pretty much flocked with their own age group for several months. The older roo did indeed dominate the younger, but it was mostly "reminder" pecks, not full blown fights like cockerels have when they set the peck order.

Good luck!!!

 

[Stse586]

I have a bachelor pad to keep all my boys in when not breeding. I had a bunch then culled them down to 7 when I was getting ready to introduce my 4 new ones I bought. I did put them in an adjoining coop for a couple of weeks after the quarantine. Then I would let them out together during the day. There was a number of squabbles, epesially at first. I would lock them in their seperate coops at night for another couple of weeks to limit fighting when they wouldn't be able to get away from each other. I watched a lot at the beginning to make sure nothing got serious. The older boys still pick on some of the newer ones now even a few months later. It isn't anything that draws blood, but they let them know they are on the bottom of the pecking order.

I think it would be important that they can be seperated for a while when locked up to allow for a good, long transition with older birds. I would definitely stay away from anything know for aggression.